Here's a glimpse into how many people on Delmarva are affected by the government shutdown

Orange barriers block off bathrooms at Assateague National Park on Thursday, Jan 3, 2018. The park remains open during the federal government shutdown, however visitors services are not being provided.(Photo: Staff Photo by Jenna Miller)Buy Photo

A quarter of the federal government has been shut down for more than two weeks, a problem that has led to a lack of government services and a lack of money for federal employees of the affected agencies.

Around Delmarva, that means the Assateague Island National Seashore is still accessible but has limited services for visitors. It means NASA's Wallops Flight Facility is at a standstill on its projects.

Perhaps more importantly, it means employees in the departments of Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development are almost entirely on furlough, not permitted to return to work until the end of the shutdown.

Democrats told reporters President Donald Trump had told them Friday that the shutdown could continue on for months or even years.

He said he hoped the matter would be resolved after more negotiations, although it was unclear if new proposals were on the line.

There are 132,691 federal employees in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware as of Oct. 1, 2018, according to a USA Today Network analysis of federal payrolls. That number includes only executive branch employees, which means it doesn't include postal workers, congressional offices or any agency not under the direct control of the president. Only "essential" employees, ones that protect property and life, are permitted to work during a shutdown, often without pay.

Locally, there are 860 employees in the executive branch. It's impossible to say exactly how many of those employees are furloughed or working without pay, but the total combined annual salaries of those employees is $67,064,364.

A majority of the 479 employees in Accomack County work for NASA at the Wallops Flight Facility. Sixty-eight work under the Department of Agriculture, 61 under the Department of Commerce and 47 work under the Department of the Interior, all of which are almost entirely furloughed.

The four in Northampton County all work for the Department of the Interior, a department that has been almost wholly shut down. Those 483 people make a total of $42,945,195 annually.

In Sussex County, there are 212 employees making an annual total of $13,996,719. The largest executive branch employer in the county is the Department of Agriculture, a department that is shut down, with 134 employees.

Maryland has the lowest number of local executive branch employees, with 165 total employees in Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties. Many of those employees work in furloughed departments, such as for the Department of the Interior.

The majority of those employees work for either the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior with 43 and 55 employees, respectively. Of the local Maryland employees, 85 are in Worcester County, 72 are in Wicomico County and eight are employed in Somerset County.

The Office of Personnel Management shared with affected employees a sample letter to use when talking to creditors, landlords and others about details of payment.

"As we discussed, I am a Federal employee who has recently been furloughed due to a lack of funding of my agency," one suggested letter reads. "Because of this, my income has been severely cut and I am unable to pay the entire cost of my monthly payments, along with my other expenses."

A different letter suggests employees offer to talk with their landlords about "the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments."

The shutdown's increasing financial crunch on the furloughed employees has prompted others to speak out. Members of the Delmarva congressional delegation, union leaders, former government officials and others have spoken against the shutdown and its implications for Americans across the country.

In a Friday letter to Trump as well as several congressional leaders, Governors Larry Hogan, R-Md., and Ralph Northam, D-Va., joined with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to urge a compromise in the debate over the spending bills.

"As our federal employees and contractors experience a sudden loss of income, this not only causes financial hardship for individuals and families, but also deals a significant blow to our region’s economy," the letter reads. "Hard-working federal employees and those who depend on them should not have to suffer because of this partisan standoff."

The letter goes on to touch on how the shutdown poses a threat to natural resources and public health and safety, as well as the economy in the region. It calls the impasse a "failure of leadership."